Snow White Yet Rose Red
by Striehart
Summary: "There will always be more to it than just a white lie. You never know, the truth it conceals may just be stained red." Now, will you continue living the 'lie' or risk it and find out the 'truth? AU
1. Chapter I, Another Day

_Author's Note: Profanity is more than welcome here. The saintly (and/or innocent) should stay away from this page; otherwise be in danger of damaging their fragile minds and continue reading._

**_You have been warned._**

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><p>"Just get me the fuckin' beer, you damn_!"<p>

"C-coming, sir!"

"How long do you plan to keep me waiting for that cigarette?"

"But, sir, I_"

"Allen! Get your ass over here!"

"Y-yes?"

Allen was literally spinning on his heels at the amount of errands from his several masters. Apparently, he had been pulled into a mess involving the yakuza and was forced to work under the most influential gang in the city… as an all-around helper.

_And obviously, it had something to do with Cross Marian's debts._

A remarkable pentagram-like scar ran above his left eye, extending into a thin line that lightly traced his eyelid, all the way down his pale cheek. His hair was dyed an unusual white and his eyes a rare glint of gray, making him stand out more than he deems necessary.

He was sure he didn't look human. Otherwise, people wouldn't have called him_ 'cursed'_.

Allen sighed.

He then hurriedly went on to finish his tasks.

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><p>Luckily, the boss allowed him to go home and even attend school during the day. But still, Allen had to rush to their place right after classes, and stay until he is finally allowed to leave at some time past midnight. It was hectic, he admitted, but he had experienced worse before.<p>

_He was privileged of such encounters, courtesy of Cross and his goddamn debts—again._

"I'm home…"Allen wearily announced upon entering his apartment, greeted by the comforting silence of the room. _There, he at least got to relax his shoulders a bit and loosen up_, he thought.

He closed the door behind him, careful as to not make any noise that could be of nuisance to his next door neighbour Kanda.

Allen remembered how rough it went the last time he _accidentally_ woke up the sensitive bastard: when he engaged in a heated argument with him in the middle of the night and ended up waking the entire neighbourhood, Kanda managing to sneak into his own room peacefully before the land lady arrived and severely berated poor Allen, who was later forced to apologize to the other residents.

Allen and Kanda have harboured a mutual resentment for each other since that fateful incident, either of the two occasionally dropping offensive words against the other and starting a fight. Not that they were in good terms beforehand, anyway. Besides, Allen was not exactly in the mood to argue right now.

The fifteen year-old shrugged, veering his thoughts away from the matter before he could begin recollecting more unpleasant memories. He then slid his feet into a pair of faded green slippers before finally stepping further inside.

He lived in a low-class medium rise apartment building somewhere in the city's suburbs and owned the cheapest available unit located at the furthest left of the third floor. It was the best he could afford at the moment—given that he still has debts and other financial concerns regarding Cross to deal with—but he saw to it that he had the interior well-maintained and neatly kept.

"I'm _dead _tired,"Allen's voice was hoarse. Not long after, he threw himself unceremoniously into the couch, as if to prove his point. Feeling uneasy, he shifted to his side and nearly fell asleep, if not for his grumbling, empty stomach. He hadn't really gotten anything to eat after lunch and by the time he had finished his work, practically every convenience store in the area was already closed.

Unfortunately, he was poor and there were literally no supplies left inside the mini ref he had. Wait, he didn't even have a refrigerator in the first place. _He sold it to a second-hand thrift store a few days ago_, Allen just recalled.

Propping himself up with an elbow, he glanced at the alarm clock placed on a small table beside the sofa. _3:45am_, it read.

_Great, he was starving to the point that even his memory was malfunctioning and school was to start in a few hours._

Now, he could feel pain throbbing violently in his head.

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><p>"<em>Allen, keep walking. We're almost there."<em>

_But the little boy was already tired and cold and hungry. He could barely keep up with Mana, who steadily paced along the frozen streets of the city._

_The surroundings were entirely foreign to Allen, but he didn't mind. He had been constantly moving to different places with Mana ever since he was adopted by the man, after all._

_But Mana had already stopped working as a clown for a travelling circus a year ago, so the boy could not understand why they still had to move all the time. _

_Mana wouldn't tell him the reason why, either. Not that he needed to know anyway. _

_As long as he and Mana were together, nothing else really mattered to him. Well, nothing else but the rest that he badly needed right now— and food — mattered to him, at the very least._

"_M-mana… Mana, wait for me!"_

_The boy cried, clumsily dragging his feet towards the tall figure in a top hat that was just a few meters ahead of him._

_Strangely though, Mana simply ignored him and continued walking deeper into the crowd until he finally disappeared from the young Allen's sight. _

"_Mana, where are you going? Don't leave me alone!"_

_Allen could not figure out Mana's odd behaviour but he clearly understood that Mana was about ready to leave him behind._

_He was going to be alone again. Allen didn't want to be alone. _

"_Mana, don't leave me alone… d-dad!"_

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><p>"Ugh, my head hurts like <em>hell<em>."

_Damn it._ Scratch that last comment. He ached all over, his skin felt sore and tingling.

Allen stirred, mumbling sleepily before he finally opened his eyes. But dazzled by the sudden brightness of the room, he immediately retreated to his sleep. _What a weird dream_, he thought, and _who on earth was that Mana?_

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><p>"Stupid apprentice, what are you still lazing around for?"<p>

_Now, he was hearing voices. What next?_

"Get your fuckin' ass off that couch and fix me something to eat, will you?"

_How funny, it actually sounded too real. Wait. That voice… Wasn't that____

"If you don't get up in three seconds, I swear I'm making you pay double the usual bills until next year."

…_his master, Cross'?_

"That settles it. I'll see to it that you will be working your ass off, _big time_."

Allen jolted up, momentarily forgetting about his headache.

He had to stare for quite a while before finally getting a good focus of the apartment and still couldn't believe that his master was actually there, standing inside the room: trademark hat, weird half-mask, messy red-hair, cigarette, expensive-looking coat and all.

"I'm leaving. Take care, baka deshi! And I'm making it triple, by the way."

"M-master, wait_"

_THUD!_ Cross slammed the door shut after opening it, but remained inside.

Startled though, Allen crashed into the cold stone floor when he tried to stand up; incidentally tripping on the blanket that had loosely hung over him.

It was 10:47am _(he missed school) _and his master, who was gone for the past few months, was back _(but he certainly did not miss Cross)_.

He sighed. Then he wondered.

_Where did that blanket come from anyway? _He doesn't remember taking one out from the drawers.

'_Don't tell me…'_

He shifted his gaze to Cross, who was apparently peeping at some girl outside through the now slightly open door. The man even whistled, his perverted thoughts clearly written all over his face.

Allen shivered. _Not Cross,__ no way, don't even think about it._

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><p><em>Author's Note (again): That's it for the first chapter of my first fanfic, yay! <em>_Well, there won't really be any pairing in this story. If that disappointed you, I'm sorry. I'm not really good at writing romance so.. yeah. _

__Anyway, I'd really appreciate a review (you're welcome to criticize my work; if you find it worthy of such, that is), or even just a simple comment to motivate (me) :3__

__Thanks for reading!__

**_P.S. This is called 'fan fiction' for a reason. Meaning, the author of this story does not claim to own any of the characters or whatever copyrighted material related to the original work of the original author. It is written for entertainment (and sometimes tribute) purposes only. _**_Please forgive me for stating the obvious, I just had to OTL_


	2. Chapter II, Strangers Part One

_Author's Note: I did promise myself I would update weekly but, I was sort of busy with other things too, so… sorry? I will really do my best to write at least a chapter every week! _

_And yeah, I thank the people who added my story to their story alert, the one who reviewed and the one who 'favorited'. Thank you, guys! Such things mean a lot to me.  
><em>

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><p>"Kanda, you should have checked up on him earlier!"<p>

"What do you think I am, Lenalee, a fucking psychic? Hell, I didn't even know he was related to that bastard… Cross!"

"Yu-chan, your language…"

"Shut up, stupid rabbit!"

_Huh? What's going on?_ Allen was hearing voices again. Whose, he wasn't sure but he had a clue: Kanda.

_First his master, now the high and mighty samurai enters the scene. And wait, did he just hear Kanda mention Cross? Oh, shit. Did that mean Allen owed him money, too? _

The fifteen-year old blinked, his eyes still adjusting to the sunlit room. Only then did he realize that he was lying on the ice-cold stone floor, with three unwelcome people inside his apartment. Instinctively, Allen concluded that he was _'probably'_ knocked out by Kanda and his minions (the other two) while Cross left him (again) to pay for the DEBT. Usual stuff, actually, and experienced as he was, he knew he'd be able to deal with it… somehow.

His mind may be a huge mess as it is, at the moment, but at least his instincts never betrayed him so far. It was during times like this and poker that they proved to be very useful.

_I could still run for it, I guess._ _I'd just have to make it to the door then make out my next move from that point._

When Allen heard the trio arguing, he decided it was his _chance_. He wasted no time and immediately snapped to his feet, making a dash for the room's entrance. The _'strangers'_ were taken aback by the unexpected move, and so was the abnormally sharp-sense samurai. Allen knew it was still too early to celebrate but he couldn't help smiling inwardly, seeing their reactions. _So long, suckers!_

"W-wait, Allen! Don't leave!"

"Where do you think you're going, MOYASHI?"

"It's Allen, BAKANDA! And, there's no way I'm ever paying Cross' debt!"

"That's mean, Yu-chan. I can't believe you're forcing him to pay up when he hardly has_"

"Just shut the fuck up, Lavi and go after the beansprout!"

"Y-yes, ma'am, no, I mean, sir!"

Kanda and Lavi set off to chase after a paranoid Allen. They have yet to realize how challenging it can get.

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><p><em>AN: Horribly short chapter, I know. I am terribly sorry (again). Please bear with me and my busy schedule, I will try to post the cont. of the chapter within the week. I won't ask you to review this time, but if you do want to… thanks! :)_


	3. Chapter II, Strangers Part Two

**'_Don't listen to them, Allen. Run.'_**

"I know already, dammit." The teen sprinted forward, determined to escape from Kanda and the other person at his heels. The stranger reminded him of a pirate, especially because of the eye patch and the bandana he wore as a headband.

_Wait… pirate? Ah! What am I thinking?_

"Stop right there, moyashi!" Surprisingly for Allen, the two easily caught up with his speed. Well, they were obviously—he hates to admit—taller, and more physically fit than he was. But he wasn't about to give up just like that.

"What the hell!"

Well, screw his sense of direction anyway. He did not notice the stairs were located at the opposite end of the hallway… just a few doors away from his unit, yet he managed to run all the way down the corridor, _to a dead end_.

Allen was not amused.

"Don't you dare run away this time, damn beansprout," Kanda threatened, holding his sword against Allen's neck. The cold, deadly metal hung loosely before him, pointed directly at his throat.

**'_Calm down, Allen. When you get the chance… run.'_**

"Ah, there's a homo pointing _his sword_ at me. I should be scared." Allen said flatly, not even flinching at sight of the 'sword' that was about to rip his head off at any moment.

Lavi resisted, with all his might, the urge to laugh (and struggled to keep a straight face) yet he could not help but add, "Wait… Is it just me or that sounded… wrong?"

At that note, the last string of what little patience Kanda had left was finally broken.

"I've had enough of your smartass comments. Die, beansprout."

Kanda immediately shifted his stance and swung the blade towards Allen. The target, merely a meter away, luckily dodged in time, leaning forward and finally making a dash for it while there were still two distracted pursuers. For once, Allen thankfully admitted the fact that he was not that tall. If he was, then he might have not escaped as easily.

Well, being uh… 'Not that tall' has its advantages after all.

"A-Allen, wait! We're not your enemies, you see!"

_Not enemies? Nobody falls for that trick anymore, not even a kid._

"Not even a kid," Allen flitted down the stairs, nearly stumbling down the moment he got lost in another train of his own thoughts. "Ah! Why remember at a time like this?"

**_'It can't be helped. He betrayed you back then, didn't he? My poor Allen…'_**

"W-who… are… you?" He finally reached the ground floor when he noticed that Kanda and the red head almost caught up to him. Worse, he just realized that it was the voice of someone else telling him what to do earlier. Allen knew there was somebody else in there, inside his… mind. Someone was reading deep into his thoughts, his memories and everything about him.

It all felt so real, disgustingly real.

Then suddenly, he was in pain again. The headache was terrible, and Allen could only clasp onto the snow white strands of his hair in a desperate attempt to dull the violent throbbing in his head. His knees finally sunk into the ground and he was slowly, painfully losing the battle to stay conscious.

**'_Good night, my dear Allen. Sweet dreams.'_**

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><p>Author's Note: That's it for the second chapter! Yay for the cliffhanger!<p>

Busy week at school is... err... busy. I try to post a chapter a week but I'm stuck with schoolwork and activities so please, once again, bear with me. Btw, thank you for adding this to your story alert, favorites and yeah... thanks for the review again! Doesn't matter if there aren't a lot, the gesture still makes me happy :D


	4. Chapter III, A Nightmare

_Author's Note: First of all, I would like to apologize for the very laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate update and the horribly short chapter (It's supposed to be this short but uploaded ages ago, followed by another chapter). I am busy with A MOUNTAIN LOAD of schoolwork at the moment and may not be able to promise frequent chapter updates right now (maybe, after this week I can) but, I promise I will never cancel this story and see it through until the end __

_Please bear with me TT^TT_

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><p>Shattered windows allowed the stray streak of pale moonlight to wander aimlessly in the estranged confinement. On the floor lay shards of broken glass and distorted figures drowned in huge pools of blood. Then, there was the grand piano situated in the far corner of the room, earning it the lone spot that did not reek of the sickly gruesome atmosphere.<p>

He had to get out of here, the boy's senses screamed at him but his silver grey eyes remained blank and dead to the world. Allen was seated on an old gothic piece of furniture, weak limbs restricted to the chair with heavy-looking chains.

'_**What wrong, nephew? Have you finally decided?'**_

"Who are you…?" The captive finally spoke, though still a bit lost in a trance. "What am I… doing in here? Where… where is this place?"

'_**Why rush? You can take it slowly, and then understand soon enough, anyway.'**_

"Who are you?" Allen insisted knowing, finally snapping back to his usual self. He looked around the room but realized he was in fact, alone. Was he imagining the voice he heard? He wasn't sure and it seemed he was not about to know.

"S-show yourself, what are you hiding for?" his tone was impatient, yet there was a noticeable hint of doubt and fear in it. He gulped and waited for the answer hesitantly.

Then, a silhouette appeared in front of him. He couldn't make out the face but he was sure it was a man, grinning maniacally at him.

Allen was terrified when slowly, the shadow-like being moved towards the direction of the boy.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

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><p>"Che, this should make things easier for us." Kanda effortlessly picked up Allen then carefully placed the limp body on his back, letting the younger boy's head rest on his shoulder. "Damn moyashi is paranoid beyond help."<p>

"Eh? Aren't you calling him a moyashi little too fondly?" Sometimes, Kanda can't help but wonder how the red head manages to pop up from nowhere and beam that stupid smile. "I didn't know you had a soft spot especially for _younger guys_."

"Shut your fucking mouth or I'll gladly cut that tongue of yours and shove it in your throat." The samurai's voice dripped with venom, and so did his death glare. Lavi flinched but nevertheless added,

"Hey, hey, why the huge difference in treatment? Don't tell me…"

"Do you have any last words, stupid rabbit? Before I slice you up neatly into fine pieces of meat, that is."

At that point, Kanda's beloved sword, Mugen, was drawn out and nearly slit the throat of a certain red head.

"Don't come near me!"

Allen woke up startled, pushed his weight away from Kanda, his back landing roughly on the ground in the process. Luckily, Lavi dodged Kanda's sword in time during the commotion.

He winced as he tried to sit up when suddenly a wave of nausea overwhelmed him and he fell right back to the cold cement. He blinked before finally staring at the two people standing in front of him who were equally confused as he was.

"Who are you?"


End file.
